


After Party

by Meticulous_Melodies



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Sex, Vaginal Sex, Zutara
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:34:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24723862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meticulous_Melodies/pseuds/Meticulous_Melodies
Summary: Zuko can't get that awful play off of his mind. Fortunately, he's not alone.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Kudos: 210





	After Party

**Author's Note:**

> Cross-posted on FF.net.

_After Party_

The sky danced with a thousand twinkling stars while the bright light of the full, fat moon washed over the courtyard. Zuko sat on the steps, staring at the cobblestones, their imperfections highlighted in the moonlight. Somewhere in the distance, frogs croaked and chirping crickets joined in the song.

It was late. The rest of the group had retreated to their rooms inside the abandoned Ember Island summer home, but Zuko was unable to sleep. That damned play, terrible as it had been, weighed heavily on his mind. There was truth amongst the exaggerations and thoughts of his uncle plagued his mind.

He gripped his knees tightly and clenched his teeth. A familiar and almost welcome darkness began to worm its way into his mind. He knew he would not be sleeping that night.

Soft footsteps behind him diverted his attention. He turned his head and stared at the feet directly beside him. Slowly, his eyes trailed up.

“Can I join you?”

Katara looked as weary as he felt. Her eyes were tinged with red from a failed attempt to sleep, and her hair spilled in disarray over her shoulders, as though she had been tossing and turning. She wore a pale blue robe and one hand clenched the overlap at her chest.

Zuko sighed and turned back to the courtyard where he had played so many times as a child. “Sure.”

Katara sat on the step beside him, her bare feet gently drumming on the wood in tempo to the cricket’s song. “I guess you couldn’t sleep either, huh?” She turned her head and looked over his profile. “Is the play bothering you too?”

He scoffed, tightening the grip on his knees. “All that stupid play did was remind me of how I betrayed my uncle.”

“I don’t think he’d see it that way,” Katara said gently. “I’m sure he’s forgiven you.”

“I wouldn’t forgive me,” Zuko said with narrowed eyes. “After everything I’ve done, his forgiveness is the last thing I deserve.”

“That’s not true.” Katara’s voice was gentle but earnest. Zuko lifted his head to get a better look at her and she continued, “I know I had trouble trusting you at first, especially after what happened in Ba Sing Se, but I can see…” She hesitated, her eyes dipping down to avoid his gaze. “You’ve changed. You worked hard to become the person you are today.” She raised her eyes again and met his with confidence. “Your uncle would be proud.”

Zuko swallowed thickly. He needed to hear those words, but he had a hard time accepting them. She was probably right, but he still needed time to fully accept the person he was becoming. He didn’t know what to say, so he simply muttered, “Thank you.”

Katara let out a tired sigh and shifted to look up at the sky. “It bothered me too, you know. Some of those scenes.” She shook her head slowly. “Aang actually asked me if I really thought of him as only a brother.”

“Oh.” Zuko’s heart gave a single, stuttering beat and he struggled to ask the question on the tip of is tongue. “So…what did you tell him?”

The question was clearly a touchy subject. She lowered her head and traced circles over the aged wood with her finger. “I told him I was confused.”

“Confused about what?”

That Aang had feelings for Katara was no surprise. The way he glared at Zuko after he squeezed between him and Katara at the theater was proof enough. But he needed to know Katara’s feelings on the matter, because he certainly hadn’t sat himself between them for no reason.

She blew out a slow breath into the warm night air, taking her time. Instead of answering his question, a light smirk touched her lips and she said, “When we were watching that scene in Ba Sing Se, the one where we were in the Crystal Caverns, I…I wanted to reach out to you. I wanted to…”

She trailed off, but her actions spoke for her. She placed her hand gently over Zuko’s and squeezed. Her eyes met his, and she stared into his golden gaze expectantly.

Her features were breathtaking. Zuko examined the way the silvery moonlight sparkled in her blue eyes, the way it shone in her hair, and how the soft glow accentuated the curve of her lips. Her hand was warm against his. Her touch gentle, but firm. The boldness in her eyes began to fade and before she could pull her hand away, he squeezed back.

He didn’t have words for her. Nothing he could have possibly said would have been right. And so, instead of speaking, he leaned over and captured her enthralling lips with his.

She let out a short sigh of relief and draped her arms over his shoulders. Zuko moved his hands to caress the gentle curve of her waist, eliciting a shuddering breath from her lips. He pulled her closer, dragging her body across the wooden step to press against his. His arms wrapped around her waist and he held her tightly. Her fingers toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck.

Their kiss deepened and Zuko slicked his tongue over her lower lip. A small gasp of surprise escaped her, but the way her fingers dug into his shoulders urged him to continue. He had watched her for so long, longing to reach out and touch her, and now that it was finally happening, he never wanted to break away.

His hand ventured to the overlap on her robe, and he slid his hand through to cup her firm breast. He was surprised to find that she wore no wrappings underneath. Knowing that her nakedness was separated from him by only a single piece of fabric enticed him even more.

Her robe began to drop off her shoulder and Katara quickly pulled back, her cheeks a deep red.

Zuko drew his hand away, cursing himself for being so forward. His own cheeks burned with a combination of guilt and shame and he stood, turning away from her. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t-.”

“That’s not it.” Katara stood behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that she had not fixed her robe. Her bare shoulder called to him, demanding that he cover it in warm kisses. Katara cleared her throat, glanced from side-to-side, and continued. “Somebody could see us here.”

He blinked in surprise. They were out in the open. How could he not have thought about that? His entire body was tingling, begging for more of her touches. He reached out and took her wrist, his voice coming out low and raspy. “Do you want to go to my room?”

He thought he saw a flash of guilt in her eyes, but a sultry smile crept over her lips and she nudged him forward. “Lead the way.”

She didn’t have to tell him twice. He led her down the quiet hallway, stepping lightly so as not to disturb the others sleeping behind closed doors. He couldn’t imagine what would happen if anyone found out about what he and Katara were about to do.

Safely in his room, he led Katara to the pile of mats and blankets that served as his bed. It wasn’t much, but the setup was comfortable enough and she didn’t seem to mind.

Her boldness astounded him. She kneeled on the mats and grabbed the edge of his sleeve, pulling him down with her. But, before he could continue kissing her, he had to make sure of something.

“Are you really sure you want to do this?”

She nodded and touched his cheek, the tips of her fingers brushing against his scar.

“Have you done this before?”

She gave one single shake of her head. Her eyes met his and, for a moment, he felt that she was staring into the deepest depths of his soul when she asked, “Have you?”

He glanced to the side. He didn’t have much in terms of experience, but he was reluctant to admit it.

She gave him a small, reassuring smile. “It’s okay. I know Mai was your girlfriend.”

He nodded, an odd sense of guilt seeping into him. “Are you still sure?”

“I am,” she assured him.

Instead of waiting for Zuko to make another move, Katara leaned forward and caught his lips. Her fingers resumed their gentle pulling at his hair, and the edge of her robe slid further down her arm.

Unable to resist, Zuko dragged his hands down her arms, pulling the robe down with them. With her torso fully exposed, he cupped her breast gently and wrapped his other arm around her waist. Secured in his hold, he lowered her onto her back, never breaking their kiss.

Katara pushed against his top. The tie holding it closed came undone easily, and with her help, he slid his arms through the sleeves and tossed it aside.

He lowered his head and trailed kisses along her neck, nipping lightly at her flesh. She shuddered beneath him, her hands rubbing his back and leaving electric sparks in their wake. His thumb teased at her hardened nipple, and her hips rolled against him. He moved to tease her earlobe with his tongue, and her jaw clenched as she struggled to hold back a moan of pleasure.

The garbled sound she made deep in her throat only coaxed him to continue. He had never felt a need so great, and he worked hard to keep himself in control. He couldn’t keep himself in check for long though, and he ran his hand down her smooth stomach to her waist, where the tie of her robe still kept the bottom closed.

He tugged the tie free and nudged the fabric aside, revealing her whole body. He searched her face for any sign of uncertainty, but she looked back at him with an unwavering need in her eyes. His heart began to gallop as he took a moment to just look at her. Could it be that she needed him as much as he needed her? He had to find out.

He ran his fingers along her slick entrance and shuddered at the wetness. With steadily mounting anticipation, he inserted one finger to prepare her to take all of him in.

She moaned quietly at his touches, biting her lower lip in an attempt to keep quiet. As he inserted another finger, her hips bucked and rolled into him. She placed a hand firmly on the back of his neck and pulled him down for a hungry kiss.

Her heated kisses and bucking hips became too much to bear, and Zuko removed his fingers so he could quickly line up his hardened, pulsing length with her entrance. She raised her hips to urge him to continue and took in a deep breath.

Keeping her inexperience in mind, Zuko pushed into her slowly, giving her a chance to adjust to his girth inside of her. Her arms snaked around his back and tightened the deeper he went. He held still once he was fully inside, and she shifted her hips to get more comfortable. Holding the position was killing him and beads of sweat broke out on his brow, but he forced himself to wait.

A slow roll of her hips broke the barrier, and Zuko began thrusting into her with a gentle pace. Katara gasped and gripped his shoulder blades as he moved above her. Her body tensed but immediately began to relax as they fell into a rhythm. Quiet moans of pleasure escaped her lips and Zuko dropped his face to her neck in an attempt to muffle his own sounds. She felt so incredible that he wanted to draw the feeling out for as long as possible.

He nipped at her neck as he began to pick up his pace. As he hit deeper inside her, her arms tightened and her fingers tangled into his hair, pulling at the strands and urging him to continue. Her walls began to tighten around him and Zuko sucked in a sharp breath at the sensation.

With the pleasure mounting, Katara pressed her cheek against his and whimpered melodically in his ear. Her hips jerked spasmodically against him. Her bare chest pressed hard against his as her back arched. She clenched her lips tightly together, but she could not hold back a beautiful moan. The sound pushed Zuko over the edge and his release spilled deep inside of her, a low groan rumbling in the back of his throat.

He held himself in place as he struggled to catch his breath. Beneath him, Katara’s chest was hitching with each irregular breath she took. She lay her hand over her chest in an attempt to quell her rapidly beating heart and stared into the abyss with half-lidded eyes.

Zuko couldn’t help but smirk as he pulled out and propped himself up on his arm beside her. “Are you all right?”

“Fine,” she whispered, her breathing beginning to return to normal. “Do you feel better?”

He draped his arm around her waist and pulled her back against his chest. “Yes. Are you still…confused?”

She traced the back of his hand with the tip of her finger. “No. I don’t think so.”

Satisfied with her answer, Zuko buried his face in her hair, taking in her scent, like the salty ocean air. “Will you stay here tonight?”

She nodded into the pillow, her eyelids already drooping. “I think I’m ready to sleep now.”

Zuko adjusted himself to lay comfortably beside her. With Katara next to him, he was bound to get a good night’s sleep.


End file.
